A Movement Led by Apostles and Prophets: Roles of Each

Today, pastors lead most of our churches and movements. Pastors are shepherds who are very important in our lives, but Jesus never intended the Church to be led by pastors alone. There were to be apostles and prophets beside them.

In Acts, apostles and prophets were to lead builders beside the local elders and other leadership of the Church. The Bible says, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone…And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 2:20; 4:11-12)

What are the roles of each?

Apostle:

People given great authority by Christ to establish and build the church. There are many besides the twelve in the New Testament listed and named. They were:

• Powerful teachers who often moved in miracles
• Fathers to local elders and fathers of movements
• Builders of local churches
• Those who carried spiritual authority to solve critical problems within the church

They were engaged in:

• Pioneering evangelism
• Church Planting
• Teaching and laying doctrinal foundations in the churches
• Establishing and appointing local elders
• Writing instructions, correcting problems
• Sending other ministers in to lead and/or build

Prophets:

These leaders seemed to move in teams under the Apostles’ guidance. They often revealed the mind of The Lord about what was currently happening (forthtelling) or what was coming (foretelling). Strategy for ministry often occurred after prophetic words.

Key:

These two offices were not lone rangers. They were solidly based in local churches and sent out into wider ministry from their local expressions. This included the marketplace in all areas of influence, However, they always worked in teams together with the local elders.

Questions to consider:

How are you seeing these specific roles being played out in your life or sphere of influence?